Meter-actuated cut-off device.



` Patented Feb. 2 2, 191er MET TTORNE YS NORMAN ANDERSON, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

METER-ACTUATED CUT-OFF DEVICE.

To all whom; it may concern Be it known that I, NORMAN ANDERSON, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have ,made certain new and useful Improvements in Meter-Actuated Cut-Off Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in meter actuated cut-olf devices, and the invention has for its object `to provide a device of the character specified, for use in connection with water meters, for automatically deliveringfiXed and predetermined quantities of water, and wherein the mechanism is so arranged that when it is set in operation, it will deliver a predetermined amount of water, after which the device will, automatically shut 0E the water, and the mechanism is so arranged that the amount of water delivered may be varied.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is .a front view of the improved meter, with the parts in meter operating position, Fig. 2 is a section in the plane of the meter, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking iny the direction of the arrows adjacent to the line.

lThe present embodiment of the invention comprises a substantially cylindrical casing composed of a head 1 of circular form, having a marginal lateral flange 2, and another head 8 fitting against the edge of the flange and secured thereto by means of bolts 4, .the said bolts being passed through registering perforated bearing lugs 5 on the Hangs 2,

and 6 on the head 3, and the bolts are engaged by nuts 7to clamp the parts together.

A shaft 8 is j ournaled co-aXial of the casing, and a rotor or piston 9 in the shape of a disk issecured to the shaft within the casing, by means of a key 10, the key engaging registering key;ways in the'shaft and in the piston. It will be noted from an inspection offF ig. 2 that while the outer or peripheral surface of the fiange 2 is cylindrical, the inner surface thereof is not truly cylindrical, there being an eccentric portion 11 within the casing, the said portion providing an abutment for a'purpose to be presently described. The rotor or'piston 9 1s provided with recesses 12, at opposite sides of the center, said Irecesses being parallel, and eX- tending from the periphery at one side of the disk to near the periphery at the other side. Blades or vanes 13 are arranged with- Specication of Letters Patent.

ratenteareb. sa, i919.

applicati@ mea January a2, 1915. serial No. 3,799.

in the recesses`12, the outer edges of the vanes being adapted to engage the inner surface of the flange 2, and the vanes are normally pressed outward by coil springs 14 Whlch are arranged within the recesses 12, betweenthe bottoms thereof and the inner edges of the blades or Vanes. The recesses 12 are parallel with tangents to the disk, and the said recesses extend through the thickness of the disk, so that there is a Huid tight contact between the side edges of the blades and the inner surface of the heads 1 and 3,"

aswell as between the ends of the blades and the inner surface of the flange 2. At the abutment 11 the flange 2 is provided with passages 15 and 16, extending through the Harige, from the interior of the casing to the exterior, and a valve casing 17 is secured to the flange 2 at the passage 15. This valve casing 17 is formed at one side to fit smoothly against the periphery of the flange and at the said side the casing has perforated lugs 18 through which are passed set screws 19, the said screws engaging threaded openings in the flangeto secure the casing in place. The casing has a central cylindrical bore 20 parallel with the aXis of the shaft 8, and a passage 21 leading radially from the bore, and registering with the outer end of the passage 15. A cylin- "drical tubular valve 22 is Journaled to retate in the casing, and the valve has a radial port 23 adapted to register with the port or passage 21 of the casing. A pipe 24 is connected to'one end of the casing 22, and the other end is closed, as shown in Fig. l.

A pipe section 25 is arranged at the port or passage 16, the said pipe section having a Harige 26 which fits against theperipheryof the flange 2, and is secured thereto by means of set screws 27, the said screws passing through openings in the flange 2. Outside of the head 3 a radial arm 28 is secured to the valve casing 22 for a purpose to be presently described, and it will be evident that when the arm 28 is moved in the proper direction the port or passage-28 of the valve will be moved into and out of register with the port or passage 2l. A stub shaft 29 is` journaled in the head 3 `of the casing be'- tween the shaft 8 and the pipe 25, and a for engagingl the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30. A holding pawl-33 is pivoted on the outer face of the head 3 adjacent to the ratchet Wheel 30, as indicated at 34, and one end of the pawl engages the ratchet Wheel, the other end having a weight 35 acting norf mally to hold the opposite end of the pawl in vengagement with the ratchet wheel. A lever is pivoted on one of the bolts 4, the said lever consisting of portions 36 and 36iL straight and approximately parallel but offset laterally with respect to each other and connected by an arc-shaped portion 36". The portion 36 of the leveris pivoted to a bolt 4 adjacent to the-valve casing 17, and at the 'junction of the portion 36 with the portion 36b a link is pivoted to the lever at one end of the link. The link is angular as shown, consisting of porti ns 37 and 37'a extending at an obtuse angle with respect to each other and at the junction of the portions the arm 23 is pivoted to the link. The arm 28'is thus held almost parallel with the portion 36 of the lever. A plate spring 38 is 'connected at one end to a pin 39 on the portion 36b of the lever, and the other end of the spring. bears against the lug 6 of the bolt 4 to which the portion 36b of the lever is pivoted. The outer end of the portion 36a ofthe lever has an eye or opening 40, and

.one end of a flexible member 41, a chain in the presentfinstance, is engaged with the eye or opening. Thelever at the portion 36 lis provided with atooth or catch 42, and one end of a pawl 43'pivoted at 44 on the head 3 engages the tooth.- The pawl is angular, or an elbow lever, and a weight 45 is so arranged on the pawl that it will hold the pawl normally in engagement with the tooth or catch 42 of the lever. A coil spring 46 is arranged between the ratchet wheel 30 and the stub shaft 29, one end of the spring being connected to the pin 47 on the ratchet wheel, while the other end is engaged with al lkerf or notch in the shaft, as indicated at 48. The spring 46 normally holds the stub shaft and the ratchet wheel in a predetermined position with respect to each other, and when the ratchet wheel is moved angularly 'with respect to the stub shaft, the spring will return the parts to normal position.

It will be noted that the inner surface of the abutmentv 11 is so arranged that it Will gradually move the blades or vanes 13 inwardly into the recesses 12, as, the said.

9 fits the casing closely at its opposite sides, and the periphery thereof moves in close engagement with the interior of the abutment 11, to form a fluid tight joint at this point. Since the 'disk is of less diameter than the interna-l diameter of the casing, a chamber of arc-shape is formed between the disk and the casing, the said chamber extending from one end of the abutment to the other, that is, from the inlet to the outlet. The normal position of the parts is. as shown in Fig. l. with the outlet 16 below. When the valve 22 is closed the'lever 36--36a is lifted at its freeend, and is out of engagement with the pawl 43. The lifting of the lever causes the cam 37a .to release the lever lifted.

The operation of the device is as follows: It will be understood that in practice the pawl 33 from the' ratchet wheel 30. The spring 38 holds the f parts shown on the face of the casing in Fig.

1 are covered, so that access thereto may not be had by unauthorized parties. The position of the pin 50 determines the amount of water that will be delivered, and it willv be understood that the pin 50 is placed in that opening 51 which will permit the pin to stop the operation when the requisite amount of water has been delivered. Withvthe parts so arranged, when the lever 36a is pulled downward, by the -chain 41, the tooth 42 engages the pawl 43,` and holds the lever in lowered position. The movement of the lever causes the cam 37 a to release the pawl 33,

which immediately engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30. The movement of the lever 36*l also opens the valve 22, and the flowing water drives the'mechanism 9-13. At

each rotation of the rotor, 9-13, the ratchetI wheel30 will be rotated a distance of one tooth, and the pawl 33 will hold it from rethe'.V lever 36, and the spring 384 will immediately force the lever upward, closing, the valve .222 The cam 37EL on the upward movement of the lever will disengage the pawl 33 from the ratchet Wheel, and the spring 46 will return the ratchet' wheel to original position. The pawl 33 -is out of engagementl with the ratchet wheel 30 when the lever 36av is in upward position, that is, Whenthe valve 22 1s closed. The cam 37a releases the pawl'as soon as the/lever is depressed, so that it can engage the ratchet wheel. .v

Every time the lever/36a is pulled downward and engaged with the pawl 43 the rotor will rotate until it has moved the ratchet wheel 30 a distance sufficient to cause the pin 50 to operate the pawl 43 to. release the leverA `cent thereto will drive the said blade or vane forwardly, thus rotating the disk or rotor 9. This rotation of the disk will continue until the blade or vane passes the outlet 16 fromthe casing.' As 'soon as the blade or vane passes the outlet the water will discharge, and since at the time when a blade or vane passes the outlet 16 the other blade or vane is directly above the'said outlet, all of the water between the blades or vanes will run out by gravity if it were not forced out by the succeeding vanes. As each blade or vane passes the abutment the water entering by the inlet 15 impinges against the said blade or vane-pressing it forward and rotating the rotor 9. Thus water will be discharged from the outlet 16, so long as water is permitted to enter by the inlet 15. A'slong, however, as the tooth 32 which is rigid with the disk9 is locked by its engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 30, which in turn is locked by the pawl 33, it cannot turn, and the ratchet wheel must bel released before the disk can turn. When the lever 36-36a--36b`is operated by the chain 4 1,

that is, when the free end of the saidj lever is l depressed, the valve 22 is operated to admit water to the casing by way of the inlet 15. y

' I claim: l f

1. A device of the character specified,

comprising in combination with a rotatingA water meter having an inlet and an outlet, and a valve for controlling the inlet, said valve being rotatable, an arm connected with the valve for operating the same,- a lever pivoted to the meter casing and connected with the arm .for opening the valve when the le` ver is depressed, a normally operative pawl for holding the lever in depressed position, a toothed .wheel connected with the meter and rotated thereby, a ratchet wheel enf gaged by the toothed wheel for moving the ratchet wheel a distance of one tooth Vfor every complete rotation of the meter, a spring for returning the ratchet wheel to original position, a normally operative pawl for holding the Wheel from reverseI move# ment when it is moved by themeter, means `operated by the lever when it is lifted for `releasing the last named pawl, said ratchet wheel having a series of radial openings, and a pin for engaging one of the openings and extending beyond the periphery of the ratchet wheel to engagethe first named pawl to release 'the same when the pin passes the said pawl, and a spring for returning the lever to normal position.

2. A `device of the character specified,

`comprising in combination with a rotating water meter having an inlet and an outlet, a valve controlling the inlet, said valve being rotatable, an arm secured to the valve for operating the same, a ratchet wheel, a connection between the said wheel and the meter for moving the wheel a distance of one tooth for each complete rotation of the wheel, a

normally operative pawl for holding the wheel from reverse rotation during its move- Vment by the meter, a common means for opening and closing the valve and for releasing the said pawl when the valve is closed, releasable means for holding the said valve operating means with the valve open, means adjustable with respect to the ratchet wheel for releasing said pawl, and a spring in connection with the said valve opening means for closing the valve when' the said means is released fromthe pawl.

. NORMAN ANDERSON.

Witnesses: y

C. R. MAGNEY ALFRED BENSON.

sol 

